Over and out

Next month I shall have been a qualified and active football referee for 30 years.

In that time, virtually anything that can happen to a referee has certainly happened at least once.

Yesterday, I was knocked out by the ball for the second time in my career, when a defender, trying to clear the ball from his penalty area, kicked it straight into my face from about five yards.

I managed to blow my whistle as I sank less than gracefully to the ground, and recovered (as I was told) less than a minute later.

The first words I heard were: "Wow! I've killed a ref!" (That's local football for you.)

As we were only five minutes from half time, I revived myself with a splash of water over my head and pressed on, despite feeling groggy, and with very little clear vision in my right eye.

Another 20 minutes' action in the second half had me feeling almost normal and seeing almost normally.

On the previous occasion that I was knocked out, almost 20 years ago, my young son had become the only member of my family who, to this day, has attended a match that I have refereed.

I recovered to find him standing over me, looking down anxiously at his dazed dad.